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 In a medium where game patches and software bugs are far too prevalent, the test department at LucasArts has excelled at delivering stable, reliable products that don't leave players hanging at a critical moment in gameplay. Located in the basement of LucasArts' compound, the test department is an eclectic group of die-hard gamers, sandwiched into cubicles strewn with innumerable open computer chassis so they can test almost every possible system configuration. However, the test department is much more than a bunch of Bunsen Honeydews doing science experiments on software; it is an integral part of the design phase of these games.
Important, but not all-encompassing. Naturally, making a hit game is a collective process, fusing together the creative talents of the designers, the audio-visual interpretations of the artists, the mathematical acumen of the programmers, and many other technical and artistic traits. There's no doubt that other developers probably have equally competent coders or similarly skilled 3D artists, but what makes LucasArts different is the synergy: The sum of all these different tradesman working together is much greater than the parts. Thankfully, there's no sign that this synergy will let up anytime soon. What LucasArts has planned for the future is perhaps their most ambitious and diverse lineup of products to date. Plans call for a stopover in the Land of the Dead, a cross-continental journey with your whip and Fedora in tote, and another epic space battle simulator where you'll control the Millenium Falcon.
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